Proverbs 22:26 (LSB)

Passage

Do not be among those who strike hands in pledge, Among those who become guarantors for debts.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 22:24 Do not befriend a man of anger; And do not come along with a man of great wrath,

Proverbs 22:25 Lest you learn his ways And take on a snare against your soul.

Proverbs 22:26 Do not be among those who strike hands in pledge, Among those who become guarantors for debts.

Proverbs 22:27 If you have nothing with which to pay, Why should he take your bed from under you?

Proverbs 22:28 Do not move the ancient boundary Which your fathers made.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "strike", "hands", "pledge", "become", "guarantors", and "debts". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "strike" and "hands", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 25's "Lest you learn his ways And take..." into verse 27's "If you have nothing with which to...", so "strike" and "hands" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "strike" and "hands" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.